It's Alright
by DigitalEloquence
Summary: "Nobody's perfect all the time but I know you and you know me and it's alright" P/J, R/R


A/N - A short Phoebe/Joey - from Phoebe's point of view. Enjoy!   
  
  
  
Okay, it's not like I don't ever think of Joey like that - because I do! All the time. It's just, he doesn't know it and neither do any of our friends. I'm the type to keep crushes on my friends to myself - I know that probably sounds weird to you, because I'm a very open person. But my opinion on things change when I experience them first-hand. I really didn't think that it'd be too good to date Joey back during the end of the Ross-Rachel thing, so I didn't make a move then and even though things got better with the Chandler-Monica thing, I still didn't think that it was a good thing for Joey and I to get caught up in a romance like the rest of them.   
  
For one thing, I don't really enjoy having my named linked to another. I know how things go when you start dating someone; your name becomes linked to there. These days, Joey and I can say 'Rachel and Ross' or 'Chandler and Monica' just as fast as we can say 'Peanut Butter and Jelly' or 'Bread and Butter'. That's how those things go, I know that - I can comprehend that. That's why it was so strange when HE approached ME one day at the coffeehouse.  
  
"Hey Pheebs, uh, how you doin'?" Joey jokes around like that, a lot. That's why I rolled my eyes after he said it, like I always do.   
  
"Just fine, Joey."  
  
"You wanna go walk around some? I'm getting kind of bored."   
  
"Uh, sure - but aren't we supposed to be waiting on Ross, Rachel, Chandler, and Monica?" Gunther handed me my coffee, mechanically, and I moved away from the bar. Sometimes, I swear Gunther is actually a robot programmed to love Rachel Green all her life until his batteries just run out. He creeps me out, a little, and let me tell you - I'm not easily creeped out. Anyway, Joey followed me over to the couch and we sat down.   
  
"Well, I've had enough of coffee, coffee, coffee." After all that repetition of the word coffee, I put my own cup down - sick with the concept, myself.   
  
"I guess we could go."   
  
And so we went.   
  
  
  
Cut it down, go put it away   
Take an inside look on the outside  
Another day  
Take time, look at the sunshine  
Have mine it's better on you anyway  
Nobody's perfect all the time  
But I know you  
And you know me  
And it's alright  
  
  
Joey and I walked right out of Central Perk together and began to walk down the bright streets. Interestingly, Joey always makes me walk in the sunlight. I don't know why, maybe it's because he likes the shadows? I asked him once and he said that it had something to do with the light in my hair but I put if off as just another Joey-thing.   
  
Today, he kicked the sidewalk restlessly, every 10 seconds or so, as we moved along. I felt like stopping him and asking him what was wrong, immediately but I held off.   
  
We walked past flower vendors with radios playing in their carts and guys playing guitars in the street. Because I am a fan of independent artists who play in the street, I stopped and threw in a couple of bills. Joey followed my suit and threw in a few random, silver coins.   
  
We looked into shop windows and went into a pet shop to look into the cages. It was quite a trip, especially when we saw the monkey that looked almost exactly like Marcel. Earlier, I'd bought Joey some peanuts and now he threw them into the cage, almost hitting the monkey. The pet shop owner guy made us leave after that, but it WAS my favorite part of the day.   
  
  
  
Stop moping, the rain's gonna rain through  
Rain through on you  
Yes, it's true that  
Nobody's sunny all the time  
But I know you and you know me  
And it's alright  
And it's your life  
And it's my life  
It's our life in the city  
  
  
  
We continued on when Joey stopped walking all together.   
  
"Hey Joey, really - what's the matter? You're acting all weird, y'know."  
  
"Oh nothing, I was just thinking about stuff."   
  
"What kind of stuff?" I put that certain edge in my voice, so typical of my conversations with Joey.  
  
"It's just - y'know, I wonder sometimes if there will be a time when I've just totally run out of women. I mean, everywhere I look - there's someone I've slept with, that's creepy y'know." This was not typical of Joey. I thought that was all he was going to say, but he continued on. "It's just, y'know, something Ross said once keeps playing in my mind. He asked me once if there's one woman out there for everyone and I told him no...but, now I'm not so sure..."  
  
"Ah Joey, all you have to do is buckle down and get serious about relationships." I linked my arm through his own and drug him towards the sunshine. "You'll find love; we all do at some point in our lives."   
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"They're probably waiting on us," I said, stopping to look back towards the route to Central Perk. "The gang is probably already there. Wanna go back?"   
  
He paused, looking at me with deep brown eyes. "Yeah, I guess we better go."   
  
We turned back towards the coffeehouse. We switched positions, since he insisted I walk in the sun. All the way back to Central Perk, I saw him staring at my hair out of the corner of my eye. I mean, what's that all about anyway?   
  
  
  
Yes I will 'cause  
Nobody's busy all the time  
But I know you  
And you know me  
And it's all right 


End file.
